


Experiment: Lovecraft

by HardasStein, Huunous



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom, borderlands 2 - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Anybody else like the Lovecraft books?, Blood, CEO Jack, Gore, I Do, Jack is sleep deprived, Jack likes coffee, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rhys as Jack's PA, Violence, Viscera, jack finds that hilarious, rhys has never shot a gun, those poor people, zahmbie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:21:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7925740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardasStein/pseuds/HardasStein, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huunous/pseuds/Huunous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sir it’s even worse than we thought. What we tried to do to correct the problem seemed to only exacerbate it and make it possible to spread. We need you down here as soon as possible, in fear we may not be able to contain the situation at hand. Project Lovecraft is failing sir, we fear the worst.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Experiment: Lovecraft

**Author's Note:**

> Meet Jack, CEO of Hyperion, and his PA Rhys as we start off a story of mystery and danger. 
> 
> Credit for the idea goes to Huunous! It was their lovely idea that I have the privilege to write. :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sir, it’s even worse than we originally thought. The mixture we made in hopes to try and reverse the effects only seemed to exacerbate the ferocity of the subject. The infection rate has only increased at the cellular level and we fear our inability to cure the afflicted. We fear its contagiousness. We require your presence down here, afraid of our inability to handle the situation at hand. Project Lovecraft is tanking sir and we fear the absolute worst.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rewrote the entirety of all of this. I hope I did well, and please notify me of any mistakes I may have missed. I promised this more than a month ago and I am soooo sorry. Here we go!

Act 1: Helios

 

The fluorescent lighting seems a little brighter than usual today, Rhys thought to himself as he made his way through the long and winding hallway down to his bosses office. He barely understood why it was setup like this, the almost reflectively clean surface of the tiles that made up the floor making soft little clacks under his designer boots. Boots that may have cost him a fortune and weren’t exactly the most comfortable of clothing articles, but hey they were fashionable and they made Rhys feel like he deserved to be a part of the aristocratic clique that made up the Hyperion hierarchy. Sure, when he had first worn them into work, Jack would not stop making fun of him for them, calling them a whole assortment of things and making fun of Rhys’ lack of any fashion sense. Rhys had told the man that he had no room to talk, considering he wore the same thing day in and day out, and that his worn out sneakers made him look like a soccer mom. Jack had only laughed at that, saying that it wasn’t wrong, but that he wasn’t wrong either about Rhys. Sure it didn’t stop the man from wearing them to work when he got the chance, but every time he did, he would get an earful of Jack’s laugh. He wasn’t going to lie though, he did enjoy hearing the man laugh, and it was pretty contagious.

Oh sue him, so what if Rhys had a minor- not really minor, but whatever- crush on his employer, and as much as his roommate teased him about it, he didn’t exactly mind the way seeing Jack day in and day out made his insides curl and coil with that fluttery feeling of butterlfies. And if he owned every single scrap of Handsome Jack merchandise, then who was going to judge him? Well, of course besides Vaughn, but not even his friends constant mock of his obsession with the CEO could shake or rattle Rhys’ mind out of its stricken state.

Though the hot paper cup he was holding seemed to be doing a pretty good job it, making him switch his position on the cup with a soft wince. He sighed out and looked up to the grand doors leading to Jack’s main office, seeing them slide open for him after a full body scan. He hated that thing; it always made his echo go a little on the fritz for a little while. Maybe he was finally going to have to take Jack up on that upgrade. The older man had specifically said that the new upgradeable Echoeyes were, “programmed to not fuck up that pretty little head of yours” when scanned by the access scan. He rolled his eyes at the tone Jack had taken with him the first time he had been scanned for his access. It had made him flustered the rest of the day, very uncomfortably so.

He carefully stepped over the cute little robot that cleaned the vast floor of the hallway, smiling down to it contently. “Still at it are we Milo?” Rhys mumbled down to the little bot, knowing it would never give an actual response, but Rhys had found it was too cute of an item to ignore. He would always say hello, and goodbye to Milo, not at all minding that the little device was only there to shine Jack’s floor. It gave him something. Jack had heard him say goodbye to Milo one night when the assistant was leaving and the CEO could’ve sworn that Rhys was losing his mind, thinking the boy was just talking to himself. When he had witnessed it a few more times, taking note that it was actually the overplayed Rumba that Rhys was talking to, Jack snickered and teased and laughed about it every time he got to witness it. Rhys didn’t seemed to mind though, not getting as flustered as he had when teased about other small things, like his eye or his wardrobe choices, and would even laugh along with Jack about the silly idea of greeting the small robot. Jack had no idea when his infatuation with seeing his PA laughing and smiling actually started, but he was going to chock it up to that event.

Walking up the small set of stairs to Jack’s main foyer, the sight that he was met with made Rhys only sigh out in slight frustration. Jack was leaned back in his chair, looking like he was teetering on the edge of sleep. The CEO seemed to have been lacking the necessary sleep he needed to function properly, and this was with the knowledge that Jack already didn’t get very much sleep, staying late at the office and arriving earlier than Rhys every day. He had never seen Jack as exhausted as the man seemed to have been getting in the past couple of weeks. It was worrying to the PA, but seeing Jack like this… It was almost- could Jack even be considered cute? Well, Rhys seemed to think so, the normally snarky and condescending crease in his brow and that signature smirk absent from his features, replaced by an almost relaxed composure. It made Rhys smile just a little bit. He wished he could see Jack like this more often, he wished he could always see the side of Jack that he only got glimpses of, the human side. The side he never showed around anyone, but Rhys. That idea, the thought that Jack was only like this with him and no one else made Rhys smile even more.

The moment was shattered though when he moved to carefully settle the hot cup on Jack’s desk, the soft little tap of the paper meeting the wood waking the man from his doze, his hand snapping forward the snatch Rhys’ wrist in its grasp. The motion pulled a short gasp from Rhys’ throat, his eyes wide and staring into Jack’s own mismatched eyes, the pair unblinking as they spent a few moments just staring. The tension was cut by Jack’s slow sigh as he let go of Rhys’ hand, the skin slightly red where the older man had held tight to him. The CEO stretched his arms back behind his head with a slight groan. “Jesus it’s only you Rhys.” The man sighed and looked back up to his PA with a slight crease between his brows and the tired look ever present in his eyes. “What is it princess?” Jack smacked his lips with a yawn.

Rhys only smiled again as he watched Jack waking up from his short nap, looking down to the coffee he had just sat down, Jack’s eyes following. “I just went and got you the coffee you wanted Jack, I didn’t exactly want anything.” He chuckled at the look on Jack’s face, the tattooed wrist reaching over to grab the paper cup and bring it to his lips, taking a few long and loud swigs of the black substance. Rhys shakes his head at the older man’s actions with the drink and with a dismissing wave from his boss, Rhys couldn’t hold back the eye roll as he turned from the big desk, moving back down the hallway for his own little desk, which made him feel more like a secretary for Jack than his personal assistant. He might as well have been both at this point, having taken over quite a bit more in the past few weeks than he was used to. He was now in charge of managing most of Jack’s meetings and filtering through quite a few more messages and calls than usual, an uncomfortable amount of them flowing up from R&D. And when he sat down in his chair with a sigh, he was not shocked to find his comm. alight with missed messages, and a low groan of discomfort left Rhys. He pulled up his files and began to filter through them, sipping at a bottle of water he had brought in with him this morning, having barely been able to touch it with how busy he had been trying to manage Jack’s day.

One message in particular got his attention, one from Faulkson down in the research department. Jack had been pretty adamant on answering all of the messages from Faulkson’s team, and it had Rhys wondering if maybe this project was what had Jack so tired. Either way, he decided to let Jack know. He pressed his communicator to get a hold of Jack, not wanting to walk all the way back to the man’s desk. He hated that walk, found it so pointless every single time he had to get up and walk down there, only to just walk right back and sit back down. He had brought up the idea to Jack that he could just move his desk closer to the CEO, but Jack just waved him off, saying exercise was good for him.

“Jack, message for you from Devon.” When he didn’t get an answer, he groaned and tried again, opening up the line completely. “Jack, you got-“ He was interrupted by a rumbling noise, a rather loud one at that. It took him all of five seconds to figure out that Jack was snoring and he had fallen back asleep at his desk, even with the caffeinated coffee settled in his belly. Rhys rubbed the bridge of his nose with a soft sigh. “Alright, whatever…” He opened the message himself then to read over it in hopes of seeing what it was that afflicting Jack so. The message itself was short and simple. It read:

“Sir, it’s even worse than we originally thought. The mixture we made in hopes to try and reverse the effects only seemed to exacerbate the ferocity of the subject. The infection rate has only increased at the cellular level and we fear our inability to cure the afflicted. We fear its contagiousness. We require your presence down here, afraid of our inability to handle the situation at hand. Project Lovecraft is tanking sir and we fear the absolute worst.”

Rhys read it a couple more times to double check what it was exactly that he was reading, looking at it and then up toward where Jack’s desk was. He had an idea of his own. He would let Jack get a little extra sleep, so he didn’t end up burning himself out, or run himself too far into the ground.

He forwarded the message to Jack’s personal account, leaving a small segment of his own at the bottom for Jack to read before he picked himself up, grabbing his pad to take notes for Jack in the future, since the man will want to know exactly what happened, and he walked to the elevator. He’d be back up before he knew it and he could tell Jack exactly what Faulkson wanted, and hopefully he could give Jack some peace of mind.

It wasn’t much longer than when the elevator doors shut and it was moving down the shaft that Jack was waking up with a snort, looking around bleary eyed as he rubbed at his face with a groan, cracking his back a bit when he sat up straighter in his seat, a slow exhale puffing out his nose. He noticed the blinking light at his computer and groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Rhys what the fuck do I pay you for?!” He hollered down the hall with a hint of teasing in his voice, mildly surprised when he didn’t get some sarcastic remark from his assistant. He pulled it up on his personal computer and as his eyes scanned the personal message, realizing just why Rhys had sent it to him, he rocketed up from his chair like a man on a mission. Jack thought he had never run so fast in his life to get down to R&D before the worst thing could happen to his precious boy. Having read the email as it was had shivers creeping down his spine, but Rhys’ add on had his heart dropping like a stone in water.

“Don’t worry about this, I can handle it. You just get some sleep and relax. I’ll be up soon Handsome.”

 

 

\--

 

  
The elevator ride should’ve felt normal, just a simple ride down to R&D and that was it. He had done this a thousand times with Jack. But that was it, wasn’t it? This time he was doing it without Jack, doing something in place of Jack, which he wasn’t even sure if he was allowed to do. He wasn’t sure how the scientists would even take to him walking down there all alone. Would they think Jack didn’t care as much? Would they be angry with Rhys? Shoot the messenger was a big thing that happened quite often at Hyperion. He swallowed down those thoughts as the elevator settled to a slow stop and the door slid open with a soft ding.

While normally Rhys would’ve been greeted with a bustle of scientists walking through the halls, exploring the different enclosures that housed their many experiments and projects, he found there were actually none; the chatter that he normally experienced from the plethora of people that practically lived on the large floor of sector seven were seemingly missing. He took very slow, very unsure steps across the metal plating of the floor, his head turning to try and catch sight of anything alive. Even the enclosures were eerily silent, what should normally be alive with the sounds of people bustling and creatures roaring and hissing was ominous in its vacancy of life. With his pad held close to himself, he walked around a corner and down a small incline, heading away from the main area and toward the more secure and secluded areas of the research center. If the scientists in charge of the secret project were anywhere, they would have to be there.

“Hello?” His voice rang out through the empty space of the large section, bouncing back and settling uncomfortably in his ears as the unnerving feeling pooling in his gut. He had never seen R&D so… So dead before. It was unnatural. “Is anyone here?” He tried to call again in hope of finding any source of life, or noise, or anything at this point. “It’s just a simple conversation… Maybe they’re all on break, or something.” He mumbled to himself as he walked down the rest of the hallway, toward the start of another in the hope of finding someone. He could swear he heard a commotion coming from the end of this corridor and he began to walk down it quickly. “Hello? I’m here to meet with the head of the Lovecraft project?” His voice once again carried through the air, and he could swear he actually stopped hearing any commotion going on at all. It worried him, so he made his way just a little faster down to where he had previously heard something. 

Rounding the final corridor to the large, bay like door, he walked up to the retinal scanner and used his echoeye, knowing if anything could get him clearance, it was his practiced skill of hacking through the firewalls of the Hyperion security systems. If he often found himself a little bored whenever Jack had no need for him, or it was a particularly slow day and he may or may not have had the time to play around with the systems, then so what? He was keeping himself busy. Plus he could one day go to Jack to tell him about the flawed design of the main form of defense for the station, and then get the man's praise for his amazing find.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the large doors beginning to open, the loud creaking and the whooshing of the pressure stabilizing catching his attention and bringing him back to the main problem at hand. And what he saw inside had his insides twisting in the most uncomfortable fashion he had ever experienced. What laid before him was something he had never wanted to see, and it scarred him slightly, even after working up and close with Jack, who killed people on a normal basis. He wanted to vomit. The viscera and gore littering the hall, blood splattered, and seemingly smeared up on the walls, was jarring and was making his head spin slightly. He could swear he even saw a… Oh my God was that an arm? He had to cover his mouth and hold back his gags, turning his head up and away from the sight of the detached limb. He swallowed any traitorous bile that threatened to slip up and out before finding his legs again and starting to walk, not at all caring for the soft squishing noise that came with his good boots walking through the mess before him. 

 

His steps became less confident with each motion, the dragging of his legs becoming more dragging of his feet as he continued to only find a bloody trail and no signs that anyone was left living in the labs. He saw the trail beginning to die down, leading up to a final door, and Rhys just wasn’t even sure if he wanted to open it, in fear he would either meet a sight far worse than what had lead him here, or the person, or thing, that left it for him to follow. He let out a shaky sigh, bordering on a whimper, as he slowly raised his hand and rested his palm on the button. He found it in himself to press on it with a slight force, making it beep and open for him. 

 

He vomited this time. Bodies. So many bodies, oh God they were everywhere and they smelled and they were so bloody and ripped up and… Could they even be qualified as human anymore, they seemed to be too far detached from their original appearance. Limbs hung limp from the trunk, only attached by remaining tendons and blood vessels, skin and hair littering the once clean floors and clothing ripped apart and scattered, leaving nothing to the imagination of the living man lying witness to the massacre before him. He hunched over into himself and vomited on the floor, unable to hold in the noisy groan that left him, wiping his mouth off on the back of his hand. He could’ve sworn he even heard… A groan, in response to his own. He stood back up as straight as he could, his stomach still doing flips as he tried to ignore the plethora of dead bodies around him in search of the living being. It sounded human enough, and that was more than he had gotten before. 

 

“H-Hello?” He called out cautiously, hoping for another sound, and he was blessed with another, weak sounding groan from somewhere in the dark room. Rhys continued in closer, eyes searching and scouring for anything, when finally his eyes fell upon a man, standing with his front facing Rhys, but his head tilted down. Rhys took slow steps toward him in slight worry. The man seemed wounded in many areas, but he didn’t seem to be any of the scientists, no lab clothing, not safety gear that the other bodies seemed to have. Not a single form of identification. His torso was covered in many wounds, open and bleeding, but the blood looked thick, dark and gooey. It looked wrong. From what Rhys could see of the man’s face, he had blood dribbling from his chin, and it worried him more as well, not so much for the man… But because he had seen large chunks taken out of the other bodies, large, animal looking bites. What had happened? It was so dark, Rhys had considered his eye, if it wasn’t still fritzing from the two scans it’s been through today. 

 

“Hey man… A-Are you okay?” Rhys tried to get his attention, very close to the man now with an arm outstretched toward him to inspect him further. The man let out another groan to Rhys, acknowledging him finally and shifting a bit in his spot. “Dude?” Rhys tried again and when the man lifted his head and looked up to him, Rhys’ heart stopped beating in its chest. When the man lifted his chin up, all Rhys could focus on, all Rhys saw, were the eyes. The man’s eyes were purple, but not some flat, normal purple. They seemed to almost glow, like slag, no… Like pure eriduim, and added with the lack of a pupil, it made the whole idea much scarier. The man let out a more feral, more animalistic noise when he laid his unnatural eyes on Rhys, almost sizing him up like prey. He opened his mouth in a full fanged snarl and Rhys could see the skin and blood stuck between his teeth and even coating them in a fine film that once again had Rhys’ stomach on edge. Rhys felt frozen in place, like some instinct told him moving would result in an outcome most unpleasant. 

 

It was another noise, a shuffling sound and a soft groan that eventually snapped him out of it and his head slowly careened toward it. He saw a woman sluggishly dragging herself across the floor, her legs seemingly dragging in pieces behind her bloodied midsection. When she lifted her head to look up to him, he let out a muffled whimper in his throat. Her jaw hung limply from her head, wiggling with every movement of her neck and head as she looked up to Rhys with those same unnatural eyes that the man had. He looked back to the man and his heart stopped. The man was now standing in front, right in front of him. How was he so quiet? Was Rhys really that out of it? Rhys could feel the man's breath fanning across his face and the rancid smell invaded his nose was most unpleasant, making the experience all that more putrid in his mind. Rhys let out a terrified scream and made to back up quickly, his loud yell encouraging a piercing wail to erupt from the man, as well as all of the bodies that had been lying prone on the floor, the scientists all seeming to find their second wind of life and shuffling on broken and shredded limbs to try and shuffle for him. The man was now reaching for him with that gross mouth contorted in a rabid snarling groan. 

 

Rhys booked it. He made the fastest bee line back the way he had come, following the trail of gore like breadcrumbs back out the large doors. He almost slipped and fell a few times in the wetness on the ground. His heart was going absolutely nuts in his ribcage, feeling like it was just going to burst right out of him with every thump. He felt like caged prey, trying its very best to try and not fall victim to the predators threatening to make him their next meal. Running around corners and up and down the inclining staircases of the R&D department would’ve normally left him very winded, but with all of the adrenalin rushing through his system, he could barely feel anything. 

 

Coming up on the elevator, he practically ran right into the cool metal of the doors, the chill welcoming against his flushed and anxious skin. He hit the button repeatedly, his mind thinking maybe that the elevator would come faster if he hit it more. He could hear the shambling and dragging noises of the bodies following him and he turned his head to look over his shoulder, seeing them coming down the end of the corridor, all of those shining sets of eyes all locked on him. He turned fully to face them, his back moving to press again the doors of the elevator. His hearing was beginning to ebb at all of the blood rushing, his heart wild under his skin. He could no longer hear their shuffling, their sickeningly squishy motions, or their despondent, dead groans. His eyes were wide as he watched them only come closer, unable to also hear the elevators groans as it was docking on the floor. 

 

When the doors opened, Rhys gasped as he stumbled back into the cabin, feeling two familiar and warm arms wrap themselves around his waist and pull him steady against a broad chest. One of the hands quickly slammed the button on the elevator and the doors closed before them, Rhys getting one last look at the first man he had seen, and those piercing, horrid eyes. Rhys let out a shaky breath he didn’t even know he was holding before turning his head shakily to get a look at Jack’s face. He saw the man focused solely on the keypad as he was punching in a code, but when he turned his attention back to the boy in his arms, seeing Rhys was looking at him, a smirk worked its way onto Jack’s lips. Rhys recognized that look, the familiar crease between his brows and the wrinkles around the corners of his lips. It was a fake smile, one that he only saw when Jack was trying to play off a deeper emotion. It was almost as unsettling to see that look directed at him as it was to have those scientists looking at him with their eyes. 

 

“Jesus kitten calm down, it’s just me.” Jack’s familiar baritone was comforting to Rhys at a deeper level and he turned in Jack’s arms to hug him tight with a shaky noise erupting from his throat. Jack just held him tight against his chest, letting the boy hold onto him like a security blanket in his time of shock. “What’s the matter kitten, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Jack’s teasing wasn’t wanted, but Rhys couldn’t help the stupid snort that left him, and when Jack felt that puff of air against his neck, it made him feel a little better. Jack had been truly scared that he was going to lose Rhys back there, and the idea of losing his PA upset Jack, way too much for his own liking. He looked down at Rhys when the lithe man pulled back from him to look Jack in the eye. “You okay princess?” He asked Rhys, a little softer in tone than he had been previously, looking over Rhys form for any injury, and scrape scratch, or at the very worst, a bite. “None of them hurt you did they? No injuries, they didn’t touch you right? Breath on you or look at you wrong?” Jack’s tone become more concerned and Rhys reached a hand up to carefully touch Jack’s shoulder. The older man looked down to his assistant, looking him in the eyes again and he relaxed slightly with a slow sigh at Rhys’ small smile. The boy’s initial shock seemed to be ebbing and he was even beginning to relax after the whole ordeal in the lab. His breaths still seemed to be a little short and shaky, but he wasn’t trembling anymore and the look in his eyes was no longer of pure terror. Jack rubbed up and down his back gently before Rhys opened his mouth to ask a question of his own. 

 

“What were they, Jack?” His voice was small, still spooked, but his tone was confident, relaxed and eager to know what the Hell he just witnessed. 

 

“What you just got to see Rhysie, was Project Lovecraft.” Jack said as the elevator came to a stop at his office and he walked into it, keeping a secure arm around his boy. 

 

Rhys walked with him, not like he had a choice with the man’s arm tightly tucked around his waist, a slightly curious and confused look settling on his brows as Jack lead him, rather quickly actually, to his desk. Jack took a seat in his chair and began rigorously typing at his computer. The screen pulled up files from the security cameras, Jack’s focus seeming to be on the ones located all around sector seven of R&D. Rhys watched the multiple camera screens, seeing multiple doctors and scientists bustling and scurrying around the large lab. He noticed a body strapped down to one of the gurneys. He recognized the man, the first one he had seen, those purple eyes, even when on the screen, felt like they were digging into his soul. It sent a shudder up his spine, and he tried to look away, but Jack's warm hand rubbed up his back. His palm pressed between his shoulders, helping to calm the man. Rhys leaned more against Jack’s chair and sighed as he continued to watch the computer screen.

 

He watched the doctors around the man injecting him with multiple substances, taking samples of his skin and even trying to get a better view of the inside of his mouth. Rhys had watched how one woman tried to hold him down after one of the doses had him frantic, mouth open in what could only be a loud cry and his body wriggling and fighting the bonds. Easily broken through, the bonds snapped and he was on the woman in a heartbeat, the scientists around her rushing to be any sort of assistance to her, but Rhys knew it was too late for her. He watched the man rip right into her throat and jaw with monstrous strength, eating and ripping at the flesh. Rhys had to turn away before he would be losing whatever was left in his stomach. Jack rubbed his back soothingly and Rhys sighed before looking to the older man instead. He saw the calculating and worried look that had plastered itself on Jack's face and it had Rhys more worried. He never liked that look, not on Jack. He rubbed the back of Jack’s neck, pulling a startled jolt out of Jack before he looked to Rhys, immediately trying to hide the look behind a phony grin. “Feeling better Rhysie?” The man asked him with a fake tone. Rhys could only look worriedly to him and rub the side of Jack’s throat with the pad of his thumb. The auburn haired boy looked back to the computer screen, seeing the man attacking and eating the poor people who had been trying to help him. 

 

“Who was he? Where did he come from?” Rhys found his voice to ask the question, staying close to Jack. The older of the two looked back to the screen before squeezing Rhys a bit. 

 

“A miner from down in an eridum mine, one of the many I've got on Pandora.” Jack sighed out as he rubbed over his face. “The mine had a major, interstructural collapse, trapping nearly 80 people down there with the volatile element. They were stuck down there for days.” Jack looked up to him, facing Rhys fully as he looked over the entirety of the man's face. Seeing Rhys focusing one hundred percent on Jack, his different color orbs brilliant in the fake light of the station. Rhys always had that sparkle when he was listening to Jack talk, and watching him light up like this made Jack feel just a little bit better, even if now there was the possibility of the infection spreading through the whole of Helios. “When we finally managed to dig them all out, we only managed to find 10, and what we found of the remaining 70, was meer pieces of what they had been. And the ten we did find, were just like him.” Jack gestured to the screen, seeing now the footage of Rhys looking through the room. “No longer the man he had been, but instead a monster. Some wolf in human clothing, only interested in finding and eating everyone he can get his hands on.” He watched Rhys run out of the room in terror and all of the zombified individuals follow him. “You were almost one of them today kitten, if ol’ Jack hadn't come to save your ass.” Rhys looked to him with a small pout, and Jack only patted his back gently.

 

“Is there nothing we can do for them?” Rhys halted his pouting for a couple moments long enough to probe Jack with another question. 

 

“Sadly kitten, that's what those sad suckers were trying to do down in the lab before they became lunch. Best thing I can do for them now is blast them all to kingdom come and hope for the best for me and mine.” With that answer, Jack pulled his hand from Rhys and turned back to his computer, pulling up actions Rhys had never seen before, code and planning and files that were all definitely for Jack's eyes only. He watched as Jack was working diligently to activate something, a sequence of some sort, but it seemed like before he could finish the tedious process, the system locked him out and a loud alarm began to blare at him.

 

“Oh no. No no NO! Fuck!” Jack yelled before throwing his keyboard right off his desk in a flurry of rage. Rhys backed up a bit from the man in slight fear of getting caught in his path. He swallowed as he watched Jack take a deep breath and begin to march for the elevator again. Rhys began to follow quickly to catch up, hearing the PA system’s voice speak through all of the station. 

 

“Alert. Alert. Unknown pathogen detected in sector seven. Hyperion officials suggest finding the nearest escape pod for your own safety. Due to enacted law 256 section 6, due to the severity of the pathogen, the Helios station has been set to self destruct in order to preserve life outside of the station. Hyperion thanks you for your sacrifice.” 

 

Rhys’ eyes were wide with shock and he hurried faster after Jack, long legs finding and easy stride. “U-Um Jack.. W-What does the station mean, ‘self destruct?’ D-Does it actually mean it's going to-”

 

“Yes Rhysie.” Jack interrupted him with an almost angry tone in his voice as he stepped back into the elevator, Rhys bumbling in after him quickly as the doors shut. “Helios is going to very much become as worthless as scrap metal in the next ten minutes!” Jack's voice reverberated through the confined space as he practically punched in his own private code to his own private pent. The rage that glinted in his eyes was one Rhys had seen before, only a few times though, and he had never seen it this close. It was scary. “And I am getting us out of here.” Now that was a bit jarring. 

 

“O-Out of here? Y-You don't mean…” 

 

“Yeah, I mean.” Jack looked to him as the doors opened to reveal Jack's personal penthouse area and Rhys had to once again stumble over himself to follow Jack out and into the living space. “I mean, that I am going to get everything we could ever need, and ever want.” Jack grabbed two large duffle bags and began to pack both of them to the brim with a multitude of items. “And then we are getting out of here before this place is reduced to rubble! The life pods should be ejecting soon, they’re meant to deploy ten minutes after the station goes into lockdown.” 

 

Rhys was still a little dumbfounded. Everything was moving so fast and happening all at once that he was having just a little bit of trouble taking it all in. “So.. S-So shouldn’t we try to get to a couple then? Before we lose our chance of getting out?” He fumbled for his words for a moment, watching Jack running around to try and gather up everything he knew that they were going to need. The older male stopped only briefly to look up to Rhys before barking out a short laugh and turning to press a few buttons on one of the side wall panels. The panel slid up into the ceiling to reveal the cockpit of, what appeared to be, a pretty nice sized shuttle, and by the looks of it it seemed to be one Jack wanted built and designed by himself. The inside was almost a bedroom, containing everything you would even find in one, the bed, the dresser, Hell there were even curtains on the windshield to simulate a bedroom window. It was kinda weird, but Rhys expected nothing but that from Jack at this point. Rhys shook his head as he went to further examine the shuttle, walking up into it and touching the soft duvet that covered the mattress, feeling the firmness under his fingers. Of course, only the best for Handsome Jack. And leave it to the man to have an escape pod attached directly to his living quarters. Typical.

 

So distracted in exploring the small living space, Rhys hadn't noticed Jack getting everything packed into the shuttle, and when Jack started it up and the panel slammed shut, Rhys jumped at the sound, starting out if his thoughts and hurrying quickly over to where Jack had seated himself in the captain's chair. “Jack what are you doing?” He asked him quickly with wide eyes, watching the older man's fingers flip switches and turn knobs with practiced ease, the engines roaring to life and almost drowning out the announcement still ringing through the station. 

 

“I'm getting us the Hell out of here princess, what does it look like? Now find something to hold on to, she's a real bitch with a kick.” Jack said as he took a hold of the controls and gave them a quick jerk, undocking them with a jolt to the whole ship. 

 

“Jack wait, I can't leave my-” Rhys never got to finish his sentence as he had turned quickly before losing his footing with the jump from the shuttle. He fell face first and smacked his head, hard, on the cool metal of the floor. He could vaguely hear a voice calling for him, barely recognizing it as Jack's before his whole vision went black and he was out like a light. 

 

Waking up wasn't like waking up from sleeping. Waking up like this was painful and foggy. Everything was blurred in his vision, sound was muffled and everything was just all around uncomfortable for Rhys. He felt something touching his head and he groaned at it, feeling callused fingers rubbing over the forming bump on his head. He turned his head to try and focus his sight on whatever was holding him, mismatched eyes finding the scrunched expression of loss on his boss’s face and Rhys realized his head was being pillowed on Jack's lap, the two of them resting on the bed that Rhys had been exploring not twenty minutes ago. Seeing the expression in Jack's face was terrible and Rhys didn't at all care for it. He followed Jack's eyes and they fell on the large “H” in the sky. Helios. Rhys watched it with a worried crease in his brow and if he had blinked he would’ve missed it. 

 

Boom. In an explosion of reds and whites the Helios station fractured and caved into pieces of shrapnel and hunks of useless metal. Rhys had to turn his head away from the sight, his face resting slightly against Jack's stomach with a shaky sigh. The man didn't seem to mind, his hand firmly holding to the back of Rhys’ head comfortingly. 

 

Jack looked on to the station. The station that he built, that he managed and he ran for years. All gone because of one small fuck up. He just couldn't look away, damn it. He had tried so hard and worked for too long for it to have been thrown away like that. He let out a slow sigh, missing the soft word Rhys spoke into his shirt.

 

Rhys had closed his eyes and worried his lip between his teeth as he tried not to think about it, tried not to think about the destruction and the death and the pain. Most of all though, and this he couldn't help but tear up at, the moisture being caught in Jack's shirt, he couldn't help but think back to his friends. What if they hadn't made it? What if there weren't enough escape pods for them? What if their pods exploded?! 

 

“Vaughn..” He whimpered so softly into his shirt and closed his eyes again, willing his thoughts away long enough to pass back out and no longer dwell on the fact that his life just took a sudden and sharp turn for the very worse as they float down uneasily to the orange ball down below them. The last thought fluttering through his throbbing mind being, ‘'Now what?’

 

\--

 

Rhys wasn't sure just how long he had been asleep, but he knew he was still in that shuttle, feeling a bed more comfortable than his own supporting his dead weight. He stretched out with a slow groan, eyes blinking the world back into focus with a soft noise. He also took notice that he was alone, sitting up slowly in search of Jack. One of his hands came up to his head with a soft whine when it gave a rather uncomfortable throb, running his fingers through his hair and groaning when his hair was left tacky where his hair gel was going bad, sticking to his fingers instead of holding his hair back. He also took note of the fact that one of Jack's duffles was gone, and he had an idea of which one he took. His eyes fell on the blinds, pulled down and over the window to keep the light out and Rhys cracked a bit of a smile as he reached over to slowly pull the cord down. 

 

Brown and blue explored the foreign expanse of land in mild awe, not having actually been down on the surface of Pandora before. It was… Rhys really had no words to describe the very alien, very barren planet that he now found himself on. Other than it was bright as all Hell. He brought a hand up to block the unforgiving Pandoran sun from blinding him with a groan, looking away from the windshield and instead moving to focus on getting up. He honestly didn't want to remove himself from the comfort of the plush bed that Jack had positioned in the shuttle, but he needed to find Jack. Walking over to where the pilot chairs were, he looked at the expanse of buttons and groaned, trying to think of which one would be the one for him to even use. He sighed and looked up to the windshield once again, and he actually saw what looked like a person in the distance. He couldn't make out any features for sure, they were a little too far away. It filled him with mild hope and he looked down to the buttons again before randomly flipping one of the larger switches. 

 

He honestly didn't know what to expect, but when the hatch began to open and extend to the ground, he wanted to cry out in victory. He had no time for that though as he began to hurry out into the wasteland. When his boots made contact with the sand, he grimaced, knowing his boots would never be the same after the sand would ruin them. He blinked his echo to life and scanned once again for the figure in the sands. He found them once again in the distance and called out. “Jack?!” He hoped it was the man.

 

The figure didn't give a response, but he knew they heard him. Their posture seemed to straighten up and they moved for him at a much more eager pace. His brows creased a little when he got no verbal response, not a sound. He called the man’s name again as the figure continued its way for him. He began to take a few curious steps toward it as well as he saw another person appear in the distance, not too far behind the first, but even still, it didn’t seem like it was just the two. There seemed to actually be quite a large amount of them out there. And they all seemed to be walking his general direction. He tried once again; calling out for the other man he had come with, and still no response. He stood watching the other people making their way for him and he called out to them in hope of any verbal response. He continued to take steps through the sand in the direction of the people and was a good ways from the ship when he could get a clean glimpse of the lone figure that seemed to lead the pack. They appeared male in stature, looming rather tall, and their clothes seemed tattered, bloodied even from what Rhys could see and it made the PA worry. The man was hurt, what had happened? Maybe he was a survivor of the Helios crash. Perhaps even they all were! He felt a glimmer of hope for his friends and he smiled, taking a bit of a faster pace for the crowd. “Sir! Sir are you from Helios?! We can help you, we have medicine if you need!” He called ahead to him, waving his hand at the man to further get his attention, before he stopped dead in his tracks, a sight making his blood run cold. His hand froze in the air and all the air in his lungs rushed out in a panic. 

 

Those eyes. Those glowing, dead eyes. The purple that had his heart racing and his joints stiffening. He swallowed hard as he looked at them. Unwanted flashbacks of the man in the lab crossed his mind and he found himself rooted in the ground again, and when the sound of their collective groaning reached his ears, he could swear he could even smell them, though they were still a sizable distance from him. He was frozen, frozen in fear and unable to move as the people continued to bumble their way toward him. He could swear that he was even able to smell their dead, rotting flesh from here and it made him slightly shudder, but he still found himself incapable of moving from his spot. He could hear his own breathing, heavy panting, but short as his eyes remained focused, wide and fear-filled, on the man walking in the lead. The Lazarus project. Jack said it started in a mine, on Pandora. And now they were on Pandora, or at least Rhys was, since Jack seemed nowhere to be found. The infection, the miner, the scientists. None of these people looked like either of those things, in fact they looked like normal people, normal office workers… Like they actually were indeed from Helios itself. That scared Rhys even more, giving him even less hope in the aspect of his friends’ survival of the crash.

Jack uncloaked himself at the shuttle, having seen the hatch open from a ways away, he had run all the way back, and when he saw Rhys out of the ship and standing a pretty sizable distance from safety, his heart picked up and he yelled for him. “Rhys! Get your ass back here before you get yourself killed!” Jack's voice was demanding, but at the same time worried. He had a bit of a soft spot for his PA, as big of a loser and a nerd that Rhys was, he still had some enjoyable qualities. Jack's voice echoed off the canyon walls and through the valley, making it known that everyone in it could definitely hear him. Rhys, however, didn't seem to even flinch. Jack could now hear the loud, gurgling groans of the undead from the shuttle and he began to take hurried steps for the man. 

 

“Rhys, get the fuck back to the shuttle before I-” Jack had raised his voice a couple octaves in hope to fully grasp Rhys’ attention, but found that to be a mistake. He triggered a ripple effect. He screamed, and then all of the zombies seemed to let out their own piercing wails, the already echoing canyon flooded with the sound and Jack thought his ears were going to bleed. He covered his ears and hunkered as all of the creatures screamed and before he even knew what was happening, he had someone running directly into his chest and grabbing at his arm to pull him. Jack almost stumbled before he realized Rhys was pulling on him, pulling him and trying to drag the obviously bigger man away and toward the shuttle. Jack, of course, didn't mind running with him and easily kept pace with his PA, but he had wanted to ask what had made the man act in such a way, but he could see it, in the glint of Rhys’ eyes. That same look he had in the elevator back on Helios when Jack had pulled him into safety. The fear for one's own mortality. Jack knew that feeling well, and knows that it's not very pretty.

 

Jack easily grabbed his duffle as the two of them ran up and into the shuttle, and Jack found his way into the pilot’s chair, flipping the switch back and quickly shutting the hatch before any of them have a chance to try and slip in after them. Jack attention then turned to Rhys, the man still standing stark still in the middle of the shuttle floor with his gaze cast downward. Jack knew he still had that fear filled look on his face and it made Jack’s stomach turn at the mere sight of it. He stood and walked back over to him with an angry, but also concerned look on his face, jaw set. “What the Hell Rhys?! What were you thinking?! No, correction kitten, I know you weren’t!” Jack scolded him, harshly at that, and it made Rhys flinch back at the tone Jack took with him, taking a step back and away from his boss. Jack let out a slow exhale from his nose and shook his head a bit. Rhys’ eyes finally looked up to him, a slightly dumbfounded look settled on his face, his jaw moving and mouth opening and closing as the man tried to grasp for words, something, anything to say to Jack. Jack just shook his head and moved the boy to sit back down on the bed before moving back to the captain’s chair. “Whatever Rhys, just… Hold on. I’m taking off and getting us out of here.” 

 

Loud sounding thuds and thumps began to beat along the outside metal of their shuttle and it made Rhys flinch and pull himself fully up on the bed with his knees up to his chest, wide eyes looking all around the floor of the shuttle like the zombies were just going to bust through at any given moment and pull him down through the floor and into the scorching Pandoran desert. Jack just growled slightly at the sounds and the shuttle then roared to life around them, almost drowning out the sounds of the undead trying to get in and to them. The propulsion of the ship sent a very large amount of them right off the shuttle's exterior, but a few more were gripping tight to the panels, desperate to get inside. As Jack took off into the sky at breakneck speeds, they slowly began to fall back to the surface of the planet, the shuttle finding a steady altitude above the planet. He would leave the horde to the mercy of the Pandoran scorch.

 

Jack sighed and ran his fingers over the surface of his mask, looking out the windshield in hopes of catching sight of a safe place for them to land. He didn’t want to waste any of the little fuel they had to begin with. His eyes slipped back to where Rhys was seated with his forehead pressed against his kneecaps and Jack sighed at the sight, turning his head back to where the clouds were brushing past them and he almost let it be before a soft tone began to flutter into his ears. Rhys was talking, or more like whispering into his legs. Jack unstrapped himself from the chair and set the shuttle for autopilot for now. He walked back to the bed and settled himself down next to Rhys with a sigh. He tried to focus his ears a little more in hopes to actually hear whatever Rhys was trying to say, whether it was for Jack to hear or not. 

 

“You wanna try that again for me princess? A little louder this time so ol’ Jack can actually hear you?” The CEO looked over the man’s face and when he got no witty comeback, or some snappy remark about Jack calling himself old, his smile faded and he reached a hand out to rest it on Rhys’ shoulder. “Rhys, look at me kiddo.” The man prompted him again, and this time when the boy didn’t look at him again, it made Jack a little mad. He rubbed up and down the others back a little firmly in hope of getting Rhys’ attention, but when it seemed like the boy wasn’t going to even give him the time of day, let alone try and make eye contact with him, Jack removed his hand and laid back on the bed. “Fine kitten, be that way and don’t talk to me. Continue to pout and feel sorry from yourself. See if I-“

 

“I’m sorry.” Rhys’ soft voice came again, and if Jack wasn’t paying attention to him, he would’ve missed it, the sound barely louder than the coo of a dove. He looked back to Rhys and knit his brows together. The boys head finally lifted up to look at something other than the darkness of his knees. He didn’t quite look at Jack yet, but this was a start. 

 

“You’re sorry? What even the Hell for kitten? If it was for leaving the shuttle, then Hell yeah, but other than-”

 

“N-No.” Rhys said quickly, and even if his tone was softer, Jack still stopped to hear what he was going to say, stopping his own mouth. Rhys finally looked up to him, and while he didn’t have that scared shitless look in his eyes anymore, it was replaced with something that left an equally sour taste in Jack’s mouth. Guilt, shame, Rhys was looking at him like a kicked puppy and Jack did not like it as much coming from the kid as much as he loved seeing it on other people. Seeing it come from Rhys made his insides all squirm in a rather uncomfortable manner. 

 

Rhys had known it was a slight mistake to get out of the shuttle to begin with, knowing it wasn’t the greatest idea he’d ever had, but it wasn’t the thing he was trying to apologize to Jack for. He was trying to apologize for freezing. He was apologizing for being unable to hear, for being stuck out there. He felt helpless, useless for just freezing up in the face of adversity and when his very life was dependent on his moving back to the shuttle, and back to Jack. 

 

“I’m sorry for doing nothing.” He said, hands rubbing the soft fabric of his pants, playing with the ends a little bit and sighing as he looked back down and away from Jack. 

 

Jack was just looking at him, the lack of an expression on his face worrying. It meant he was thinking, and Rhys had seen the outcomes of when Jack was thinking and he wasn't sure he wanted to be on the other end of the man's actions. A thinking Jack is a very dangerous Jack.

 

He then felt a gentle grip on the bottom of his chin pull his focus back up and to Jack's face, a soft breath puffing out of his mouth in slight surprise. His eyes went wide as the multicolored orbs stared back into equally multicolored eyes. Jack's face still was in deep concentration before a grin split his face and a chuckle left his lips. 

 

“Well, I'm honestly not surprised that you didn't do anything kitten. You didn't exactly have a gun on you, so what could you do?” Jack patted his cheek and before leaning back on the bed, resting his hands on the soft surface with a groan. Rhys remained silent and his eyes flitted away from Jack, shame curling once again deep in his gut as the man mentioned guns. When the silence lasted just a bit too long, Jack raised his head to look up to the back of Rhys’ head where the man was still slightly hunched over. “Wait.” Jack sat up quickly and looked to Rhys, trying to catch his eye again. “You, are you serious?” He couldn’t help the snicker that left his lips. “Have you honestly never fired a gun before?” The silence dragged on and a loud, rather barking laugh left the older man’s mouth, making Rhys’ cheeks flush and he looked up to Jack embarrassed, a pout plastered on his face. “Y-You work for me, at a company that mass produces weaponry and you have never actually fired a gun?!” Jack was giving him an amused look, actually happy to see the pout on Rhys lips, knowing it was something other than the sadness he was feeling. It was good to see his little spitfire feeling more like himself. 

 

“No Jack, I have never fired a gun before, go ahead laugh it up. Haha, Rhys has never handled a gun before.” The PA was blushing just a little bit more, but he couldn’t help but crack a small smile at Jack’s laughing and teasing. It made him feel just a little bit better to see Jack acting like everything was okay. He looked to the older man before his small smile fell a bit and he looked a little more serious. “Jack… Where are we gonna go?” He asked softly and it made the older man stop laughing for a moment and looked at the boy with a contemplative look, the gears once again grinding in his head to create the perfect answer to both calm the boy, but not completely bullshit him. 

 

Eventually Jack just sighed and leaned back again, stretching his arms out behind them with a drawn out groan and wrapped one around Rhys’ shoulders, pulling him into the CEO’s warmth. “Oh, Rhysie, baby, you worry too much. I have this in the bag and know exactly where we’re going, don’t you worry that pretty little head.” Jack hummed to him, giving his shoulder a gentle pat and when Rhys saw the lines around his eyes and lips, he sighed and just smiled back to Jack with his own fake smile before nodding. 

 

“Sure Jack. Whatever you say.” Rhys said softly to the older man and it made Jack smile just a little bit more, squeezing Rhys’ shoulder a bit. 

“That’s right pumpkin, whatever I say, and speaking of what I say. How about, when we get the chance, you and me get some weapon training in, get you learnt up about how to properly grip a weapon of great destruction?” Jack said with an actual grin on his face and Rhys looked up to him, almost shocked before he began to shake his head and put his hands up to push Jack away from him.

“Oh, n-no Jack, I don’t think you really need to-“

“And then we can get you caught up on how to actually handle a pistol.” Jack’s smirk was cheeky, his brow cocking up in that signature Handsome Jack way that made Rhys’ insides flutter, and it made Rhys both flush and scowl at Jack and push at the older man with new found strength as he fought back the grin that threatened to grow on his lips. Of course, it’s Jack after all.

“Jack, stop that I am not falling for that shit. I am neither learning to shoot a gun, nor do I plan on giving you any sort of handjob in the future.” Rhys looked back to him, but he couldn’t help but laugh and smile a bit as the look on Jack’s face hadn’t fallen in the slightest and he was still grinning a Cheshire cat grin from ear to ear, and a hyena laugh crept up his throat at the blush and smile on Rhys’ cheeks. The laughter grew between them at the happy moment, the two of them momentarily distracted from the horrors that lay below them, just enjoying one another’s company more at the time being. 

They both laughed for a few more good moments before the moment they had just had came to a screeching halt as Jack rubbed Rhys’ shoulder again. Jack’s look became a bit more serious. “But seriously pumpkin, we’re on Pandora, and even if those things weren’t out there,” His arm that had been around Rhys seemed to actually hold him just a bit closer as he spoke, almost fearfully. “We are on Pandora, a barren wasteland full of bandits and killers, and I would prefer it greatly if you were a little more versed in how to protect yourself, because as much as I could, I don’t think I’d want to be constantly protecting that sweet ass of yours, princess.” That’s honestly a lie, Jack would never hesitate to jump in the line of danger to try and protect his PA, and Jack knew that, and it was slightly terrifying for him. 

 

Rhys looked very reluctant, never actually wanting to own a gun, never mind actually firing on at something. But, Jack did have a point, they were on a planet filled to the absolute brim with danger and he gave it but a moment's thought before he sighed and decided, knowing Jack would never relent about something like this, and as much as it pained him to even think about picking up a gun and shooting somebody, he knew he was going to have to let Jack teach him.

“Alright Jack. I’ll learn.” Those words alone had Jack smiling again, a real one this time, no crinkles around his eyes or the corners of his mouth, and it had Rhys smiling as well. Jack’s real smile always had that effect. It was beaming and bright and it always had a way of making Rhys smile along with him, even if Rhys was angry with him. 

 

“Now was that so hard?” The older man asked, and Rhys refrained from answering honestly and sat quiet, instead just smiling at him. “Good, now then, we’re gonna be flying for quite some time yet pumpkin, so if I were you, I’d probably bed down again because if we’re being honest in here, I actually have no idea where we’re going and I’m not so sure how much fuel is left in this ship.” Jack’s laugh didn’t help at all to mute the boy’s scream.

“God damn it Jack!”

 

\--

 

Even though Jack had told him it would’ve been better for him to go and try to get some sleep while he searched around for a safe place for the two of them to call home for now, Rhys found himself unable to actually find himself tired enough to sleep. The bed was soft, the softest thing the boy had ever felt, and it was amazing and everything Rhys had ever wanted in a bed, but he was just too awake. So instead he just found himself seated in the co-pilot’s chair next to Jack. He kept his gaze out on the surface of the darkening orange planet below them, watching the many different hues change in the setting of the sun. He even snuck peeks up at Elpis from time to time, but it was hard to look at, when he could still see remnants of what was the Helios station in the sky. It looked to even still be burning, some parts even still exploding. It made his heart clench and the thought that everything he’d ever known and everyone he’d ever known might be gone and he’d never see any of it ever again and he couldn’t look at it any longer than he needed to before looking away and back down to Pandora’s surface. The sight made his heart clench and drop in his chest as he thought back to Vaughn and Yvette. He had been silently trying to get in contact with them over the long ride, but to no avail. Eventually he began to give up hope and he turned his ECHOcom off, settling back further into the chair. He would sneak peeks at Jack’s face from the corner of his eye, seeing the man’s angrily stoic face searching the sands for something, anything, a place they could be safe for the night. 

 

“What about that plateau?” Rhys offered softly, pointing over for the large formation, figuring there was no way anything could get up to it with how steep the sides looked, watching Jack’s eyes follow his finger until he saw the natural structure and he made a sneer about it, looking to Rhys, his eyes unconvinced and irritated. Rhys could tell Jack was tired of flying around trying to find somewhere to land, and he knew neither of them had any idea how much fuel was even in the shuttle anymore. 

 

“No way Rhys, we’d get eaten alive by one of Pandora’s natural monsters.” Jack huffed before Rhys reached over to him to grip his shoulder. He could rattle off a long list off the top of his head about what could kill them up there, a long ass fucking list that would be longer than Rhys was tall. 

 

“We don’t have to get out of the shuttle though, we can just land it there for the night.” Rhys offered, although he knew he would want to actually get out of the shuttle. He was starting to actually get antsy at the time they’ve spent cooped up in the sardine can of a ship. His legs had started to hurt from the amount he’d been sitting and his ass had long gone numb, and he was keen on trying to get up, even in the small space. He knew it was a shitty argument to get up and try and stretch his legs, since there was a bed nearby, but the shuttle itself was small, and had little to no space for Rhys to stand comfortably without hitting his head, and he had already done that today, so he needed no repeat of that incident. So what if the plateau wasn’t going to be the safest place to stay? It wasn’t the worst place. At least then there was some guarantee that Jack could try and get some sleep. Rhys would offer to fly the shuttle, but he knew nothing of the pandoran terrain and he knew nothing about piloting a ship and knew that it would probably be a worse idea than settling on the plateau for the night. 

 

The look Jack gave him leveled with his own, practically pleading gaze and the older man seemed to relent, proving Rhys was right about Jack being tired, as he turned the ship at an alarming angle, forcing Rhys to grip to the seat he was in to keep himself from flying out of it. He shot Jack a glare, but still had a bit of a smile on his face, incredibly happy that he won, as the man brought the shuttle down to land on the rocky surface. When the ship stopped settling and Jack turned off the main power to reserve on fuel, he also released the hatch and opened it for Rhys. The slim man looked up to him and cocked a brow. 

 

“Go on and get the Hell out why don’t you? You’re startin to make me antsy. Go on out and stretch those long legs for me will ya?” Jack’s tone was playful, but his face remained serious as he looked to the controls, his eyes keeping a close look on the environment around them just in case there was something out there that he didn’t want to leave Rhys alone with. Rhys rolled his eyes at the older man, but unbuckled his seat as he stood up, and just that stretch had his muscles groaning. He minded the ceiling as he walked to the hatch and stepped down the incline. The chill of the air fanned goosebumps across his skin as a breeze ran across his face. It was a wonderful juxtaposition compared to the experience he had previously on the carrot colored planet. He even closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing more and finding himself more happy than he had been a few moments ago. He stretched his arms out behind his head with a small smile blossoming on his lips before looking about the plateau with a much more leisurely pace. He caught sight of the setting sun in the distance and it made Rhys feel more at peace in his chest at the beauty before him. He was grateful for the altitude, seeing the tone the sun cast on the expanse of land just before setting over the horizon, being able to see all of the wasteland of a planet they had landed on. Rhys had never been able to actually see Pandora this close before, only having seen it from the Helios station. And if he was going to be honest, he wasn’t sure which view he prefered more. He had never had the chance to explore the planet before. Not that he really wanted to, considering everything about the planet that he had heard from people. This planet was a cesspool of danger and death and that wasn’t something Rhys wanted to get sucked into, and yet, here he was on the surface of the planet he’d never thought he’d need to be on. At least he had Jack, that was one plus, even though his boss was overbearing and a huge jackass, he could actually be nice company when he tried. 

 

He sighed and looked out as the sun finally slipped past the edge of the world and the sky began to fill with the inky blackness of space and Rhys was given a sight he had never been able to see before. Living on a space station for a while, you get to see lots of stars, nebulas and galaxies, you get to see quite a bit while actually living in space… But seeing them from the surface of a planet gave it more of a home feeling in his chest as he looked up and saw the stars beginning to spark to life in the sky. Constellations formed and galaxies swirled in the dark sea above the horizon and it all just seemed so… Peaceful. The sight alone made everything seem so much.. Bigger, and he suddenly felt so small as he stood there under them. The edge Rhys had been standing on prior to this omen was fading and he felt his feet come back to him, standing once again on solid ground. A slow breath he wasn’t even sure he was holding slowly fell from his lips as he smiled. 

 

His gaze stayed up on the sky from a long time, just how long he wasn’t entirely sure, long enough for the hot sun to go completely down and for darkness to sweep across the orange sands, turning them an unsettling dark blue in the Elpis moonlight. Long enough for the heat to fade and for a bone chilling cold to settle over him. The silence was resounding as Rhys stood alone atop the large stone surface, breaths slow in his ears and heartbeat thumping softly in his chest. He had finally begun to relax in the fresh air, his mind actually beginning to forget the events prior, or perhaps he was just coming to grips with the events that transpired. He felt at peace for the first time all day. 

 

Just when he thought he was comfortable, when his mind was fully at rest again, he pulled his gaze from the sky and down to the dark ground and he felt his blood running cold at the sight laid out around him. Thousands, almost millions of little purple dots were littering the darkness, circling around the base of the plateau Jack had landed them on. They all seemed to be looking up, looking up at Rhys, watching him. Their eyes, their damn eyes just watching his every move, as if he was going to just jump right off and give himself to them. His heart was going absolutely wild. He took a very shaky, very unsteady few breaths as he found it in himself to finally take a couple unsteady steps back and away from them, hoping to get as far away from the infected as he could. His stumbled footing had him falling backwards, and when he was ready to land flat on his ass, there were two arms hooked under his armpits to keep him standing upright. He looked back, not at all shocked to see Jack looking at him, and he took note that Jack didn’t even try to hide the worry behind that fake smile of his, the corners of his lips curled down in a deep frown, a crease between his high arched brows as he held the PA to himself. Rhys let out a slow and trembling sigh. Jack wasn’t focused on him though, instead the older man’s gaze was down on the millions of figures down below them. 

 

“Watch your step kitten.” Jack’s tone was light, soft even, compared to his usually loud and boisterous self. It almost unsettled Rhys at how unlike the Jack he knew that tone was. Rhys swallowed the nervousness bubbling up in him and he slowly stood back up on his own two feet as he looked to Jack, refusing to look anywhere else in fear he would see those terrifying purple orbs in the darkness once again. Jack’s arms remained around him, shifting from under his arms to around his waist instead. Rhys didn’t find himself minding. Jack was warming, the cool air around them not seeming to be a bother to the larger man as he held the lanky body to his own. A soft sigh left Rhys’ lips as he even found himself leaning into it. 

 

Jack’s eyes looked over to Rhys when he felt the man practically snuggle up and into him and it made him chuckle. “Jesus Rhysie you’re freezing.” His teasing tone was back and it made Rhys smile just a bit to see his Jack back again. “Let’s get you back inside, bundled up in Ol’ Jack’s big old bed. It’s getting late and none of us want to be out here when the night creatures wake up. Everything on Pandora can kill you Rhysie. And just about everything wants to.” Jack shifted both their body weights to try and get Rhys focused on heading back and into the safety that the shuttle could provide the two of them, but Rhys wasn’t sure he was ready to go back in there just yet. Jack looked down to him and the boy’s eyes were looking up to Elpis, the bright blue planet out shining the remains of Helios and just all around being it’s normally entrancing self. Jack looked back to Rhys’ face and the boy had a longing and almost lost look on his face. Jack sighed out slowly. 

 

Rhys could recall the feeling of something gently pressing against the chilly skin of his cheek, something soft and warm, but Rhys wasn’t truly aware as his mind was somewhere else. He felt Jack’s arms leave him and he blinked himself out of his slight trance to look over to where Jack was walking back to their shuttle. His brows creased in slight confusion before he heard Jack’s voice again. 

 

“You’ve got ten minutes before I’m comin’ back out and dragging you back in kitten. Can’t have you getting yourself killed you know. I might actually miss you.” Jack chuckled as he disappeared into the small ship. Rhys smiled just a little bit and rubbed his cheek lightly where he had felt the warm press against his cheek, blushing just a little bit. He looked back up to the moon once again and sighed, the lost feeling washing through his being. He pulled up his echo again and once again attempted to try and contact his friends. He could see the call attempting to connect from where he was and he could swear for split second he was getting something, and he would take whatever he could get. 

 

“Vaughn? Vaughn?!” He called hopelessly into the device and he heard something scratchy on the other end, some sort of voice coming through to him and it made him practically sob out in relief at getting something. “Vaughn are you there? Are you okay? Is Yvette there with you?!” Rhys asked a thousand questions, trying to get any information he could out of the device, trying to understand ony of the information coming through the seemingly broken device. The loud, broken noises coming through the echodevice, combined with Rhys’ own voice was echoing and loud. 

 

Loud enough to distract from the groaning noise coming from one of the engines of the shuttle. Rhys voice had disturbed the previously dormant zombie, its attention now on something living, and boy… Was it hungry. The burnt and broken creature slithered from the plating and groaned, landing on the ground with a grotesque sounding squish its demented eyes set on the distracted man as it shuffled through the grainy sand atop the plateau, its legs gone from its body and only able to use its arm to drag itself, and even though it wasn’t the quietest thing in the world, Rhys was too distracted at the hope of possibly finding his friends to even notice its presence. Its rotten skin left an ugly trail behind it as it worked its way to the man who was none the wiser. 

 

Jack had checked his watch and rolled his eyes when Rhys was still out there and he stood back up from the bed to walk out and onto the surface of the planet again, stepping down the incline with a groan. He had told the boy, given him specific instructions to be back inside, lest the evils of Pandora come out to nibble on the boys soft flesh. “Time’s up Rhysie, we had a deal and I'm here to drag you back-” The sight Jack was met with had his blood running cold and his heart stopping in his chest. Seeing that creature, so close to Rhys, and even touching him, and had absolutely no time to grab his gun, even from his side. “Rhys!” He screamed as he drew his pistol. But he was too late. His blood went from cold to boiling rage.

 

Things moved in slow motion. For the both of them. As Rhys heard Jack’s voice, he hard turned slightly to see him, feeling two hands grip tight to his right arm, but they didn’t feel like Jack. They were clammy and dry and when his mismatched eyes finally saw what had a hold of him and he wasn’t able to get a word out before the things rotten and gnarled teeth were digging into the pale, soft meat of his wrist, making him instead cry out in agony as the thin ripped a large chunk out of him. 

 

It was right after that Jack was able to get the shot off, the bullet going right through the monsters temple and blowing its brains all over the ground. But the damage had been done. Rhys’ whole body was trembling and shaking, the boy beginning to fall over as he knees gave out as Jack ran over to him, falling to his knees in order to properly catch the falling boy, pulling him closer to himself. Rhys was in tears, the fat droplets of water dribbling down his cheeks in pain and terror as his left hand held its useless, limp mate tight, blood oozing and gushing from the wound and bone exposed to the harsh open air. It was an absolutely terrifying sight to behold, seeing Rhys blubbering in pain and seeing him broken like this. The boy’s breath was shaky and fast and his heart was practically racing and trying to burst from his chest. Jack looked him over and for the first time all day, Jack felt completely at a loss, Hell Jack even felt scared at this point. Rhys had been bitten, Rhys. His Rhys. 

 

What were they going to do now?

 

End act 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well? Huh? Good? I know, not really. But I tried! :'D  
> Writing this kinda killed me a little bit, I barely had anytime to write it all month. It started when I may or may not have rolled both of my ankles an torn ligaments in both of them. Then I had issues with my job and my boss, and then housing issues. It's just been a shitty month. I was working on it though, and it's 13k+ words! Can you believe it! I was so proud of myself. I've planned on making it a four part story with each chapter being this long and I hope that you guys stick around for the ending!  
> Would love to hear feedback and even answers some questions you guys may have about the story now or even in the future!  
> Much love,  
> SitW

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Would love to hear feedback and would like to know if you have any questions I can answer about this.
> 
> Much more to come in the future, so stay tuned!


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